


But I Believe The World Is Burning To The Ground (Oh Well, I Guess We're Gonna Find Out)

by MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Magic Laws in United States of Auradon (Disney), BAMF Carlos de Vil, Carlos de Vil Needs a Hug, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil as Found Family, Fairy Godmother Is Cool, Fake Names, Gen, Gil is Pallas Athena's Son, Isle of the Lost (Disney) is a Terrible Place, Major Character Deaths In The Bad Timeline, Mal Is a Terrible Guesser, Multi, The Blue Fairy Is Mysterious, Time Travel AU, an angsty time travel fic that no one and I mean no one asked for but I delivered
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:02:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29036673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin/pseuds/MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin
Summary: When the future is burning, the only possible way is to be sent back. Even if it is accidentally. So when Carlos de Vil is sent back he has to deal with the fact that he can change things with some help.Now if only he knew where to start?
Relationships: Audrey Rose & Carlos de Vil, Aurora & Phillip & Carlos de Vil, Ben/Evie/Jay/Audrey Rose (Disney), Carlos de Vil & Original Character(s), Chad Charming/Mal, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Uma/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 24
Kudos: 16





	1. I Sat Down On The Street and Took a Look At Myself, Said Where You Going Man You Know The World Is Headed For Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title of both the fic and the chapter is from Matchbox Twenty's song, How Far We've Come.

The explosion rocked the school sending tremors around the old castle and surrounding cities. Fairy Godmother ran to the Tourney Field where a small stream of students was making their way, all of them confused, sleepy, and frightened. She ordered them back to their rooms as she made her way. Once there she saw a large crater in the middle of the field, a huge crater hole with dark smoke above it ad around it. As she got closer she could hear wailing, crying, and panicked voices. Children voices and a man's voice. 

"Show yourself! Now!" She shouted. "You are on the private property of Auradon! Get out now!"

The crying continued and was coming closer to where she stood. Finally, she saw the outline of a man carrying a little girl. Next to him were three more children, a young boy, and two girls. The boy and girls held each other's hands with the little boy clinging to the man's hand. The little girl in the man's arms was crying it was the man that was getting her attention. He looked familiar to her yet she could not pinpoint where she had seen him before. Yet it was the man's eyes that looked at her it made her worried. His eyes were full of recognition when he saw her.

"I need help," the man croaked. "Fairy Godmother... please!"

She squinted at him. In the back of her mind, she knew this man but it was impossible! She had never seen this man before but she that the man in front of her, she knew him. He looked like a knight but without the helm, his armor was pitch black with no symbol on the chest. It reminded her of Phillip. Yet she could not shake this feeling when she saw this man. She knew him. The eyes, the nose, cheekbones, disheveled brown curly hair, and... the freckles. The scar over his right eye yet Fairy Godmother only saw her student, the newest one that arrived from the Isle. She heard shouts coming closer and could see the panicked looks the children and the man had. Summoning her magic the fairy teleported them to the safety of her office. 

The man collapsed on the chair. The three children were shaking but the man directed them to the empty chair next to him and they all climbed in, curling against one another. The little blonde girl was still clinging to the man, a grip around his neck. What she also did not notice until now was the sword on his hip in the scabbard. She recognized the sword but her attention and questions were on the impossible than the sword. 

"Carlos?" Fairy Godmother asked tentatively as if he would deny it viciously. The man slowly looked up, a small sad smile spread across his lips. How was this possible? It was impossible! Carlos de Vil was barely a day into Auradon Prep. How was this man who was also Carlos de Vil, here? And who were these kids?

"Carlos... How? How is this possible?" She searched his eyes. They looked tired, haunted but also still held that youthful spirit that was known in Carlos. Fairy Godmother would not know the last part, not yet. But he looked at her as if she was a ghost. She could only repeat herself. "How?"

"It's a long story," he murmured. 

"We have time," She pointed out to him. 

He smiled and nodded knowing she was right. It was as if he had forgotten about having time. The story began and ended with horror. Fairy Godmother felt sick and sad as she looked at Carlos. Both future and present Carlos was the son of Aurora and Phillip. The long lost son of the King and Queen of Auroria and Ulstead that had gone missing a few days after he had been born years ago. Aurora and Phillip mourned their son's disappearance. Poor Audrey had been made heir to both kingdoms two years after her brother's disappearance setting the weight of the crowns on the young girl's shoulders. Now, their son was home. 

"Cruella had taken me as a baby," Carlos had told her. "She had Jasper and Horace get her a son, so they chose me. I was the next best option for a son and by the time the Isle was officially sealed it was too late. I was already known to everyone on the Isle as Cruella de Vil's son."

"Oh Carlos," she murmured. "The future it does not sound..." She trailed off.

"Plesant?" Carlos helped.

She gave him a sad smile in response. Her eyes then wandered to the children who were sleeping in the chair and one in Carlos's arms. 

"The children... are they yours?"

Carlos let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. 

"No! God no! They're my siblings kids. My nieces and nephews," Carlos gasped between laughter. Composing himself he introduced the children to the headmistress. "This is Elizabeth," He indicated to the little blonde girl who seemed to be falling asleep in his arms. He then indicated to the young boy and girls, the two children with blue hair. "This is Hades," He pointed to the boy. Then to the girls. "Hippolyta and Briar."

Hippolyta and Hades had the same shade of blue that reminded Fairy Godmother of another VK she had met today. 

"Blue hair..." Fairy Godmother looked at the slumbering blue-haired children and then back to Carlos. "Evie's children. The blue hair is a giveaway."

"It is and they're her kids, Hippolyta and Hades are Evie's kids," Carlos explained to his old Headmistress. "Elizabeth is Chad's daughter."

Fairy Godmother's eyes widened at what he told her. Chad had a daughter in the future! Yet when she saw Elizabeth, she could see the same curls that Chad has. His daughter had inherited them but the blonde color seemed much lighter than Chad's golden blonde. 

"And this is Briar, Audrey and Ben's daughter," Carlos said but he looked at Hippolyta and Hades again. Fairy Godmother could see there was more in the tale of those children. "Hippolyta and Hades have different dad's but they are siblings. All three of them are siblings-Hades, Hippolyta and Briar."

"Who is Hippolyta's father and who is Hades' father?"

Jay is Hades father," Carlos hesitated but seemed to want to say. "... Ben is Hippolyta's dad."

"All four of them fell in love," It was more of a statement than a question that came out of Fairy Godmother's mouth. "Audrey, Jay, Ben, and Evie."

"They did," He confirmed. "We've done our best for these children even with the war going on, their parents have done their best and loved them so much. Better than what our parents ever did for us."

Fairy Godmother grasped his hand and patted it. He smiled at her. Fairy Godmother wondered how he got the scar that ran down his eye, she wondered how much he has seen, how much pain and battles. Too many. He has seen too many and fought so much. Carlos was a fighter, wielding Phillip's sword. 

"Well," Fairy Godmother smiled trying to lift his spirits. "It seems that for now, you will be here. You want to change things, may want to change things. It will need to change."

"How?" Carlos asked her. "Tell me because being here... I don't know where to start. I don't even know if I can change things."

"Start at the beginning," Fairy Godmother told him gently. "You and the others just arrived in Auradon Prep today, you can change things for everyone."

"I guess you want to help me FG?"

"For the good of Auradon and for you children. The future has to change."

Fairy Godmother had Carlos in a room, a lonesome hall close to her own quarters in the East Wing away from the student body and some of the staff. She made sure he and the children had everything especially clothing which he was thankful for. He promised to meet her in the morning in her office to go over his 'story'. Now he just needed a name... Yet his attention was to the children who, he tucked into the beds in the small room connected to the bathroom. His room was larger with a king-size bed while the children's room had two twin size beds to fit two kids in there. He placed Briar with Hippolyta and Hades with Elizabeth. He knew that Hades wouldn't mind because Elizabeth curled like a little kitten when she was asleep. Finally, after making sure each of his nieces and nephews was asleep, he found his way to his bed and flopped on it not bothering to change out of his leather clothing. 

How long has it been since he slept in a decent bed with a good furnace that kept the cold out? Oh yeah... almost fourteen years. He was twenty-seven but he felt older, possibly looked older because of his scruff and his scar. He knew how to kill accurately and efficiently, led battles to protect his family. He would do the same if need be at this time. 

For now, Carlos slept.

* * *

When he woke up, Carlos could hear the children shouting at him to wake up. He groaned and wondered how his friends could deal with four terrors of kids waking them up like this. 

"I'm up... I'm up," He said yawning and rubbing his eyes. They clamored for his attention yelling at him that they were hungry. He agreed with them, knowing that they all needed food. "Let me get dressed and then we can go eat. Okay?"

He realized that he needed to get his story straight with the children and with Fairy Godmother. He was surprised the old fairy didn't rat him out yet but he remembered the tight anti-laws that were still in place. Those laws had been demolished the moment the barrier opened and hell broke loose. That law needed to get rid of in case things went to hell again. Auradon needed to get its head out of its ass and he needed to stop his friends and his younger self from stealing the wand again. He couldn't let this happen. It caused so much pain for them and everyone. He had been nothing more than a pawn and shield for the villains when Cruella had gloated to everyone that he was the Prince of Ulstead. 

Shaking his head of those memories he made sure each of his nieces and nephews was dressed. They wore t-shirts, skirts and in Hades case, pants and a t-shirt. Carlos found some clothes in the drawers. The colors of red, black, and grey stood out making him smile. No sight of spots which he was relieved about. He was not Cruella's son anymore. He was Aurora and Phillip's son. He picked a red t-shirt, grey jeans, and much to his delight a black leather jacket. He hid his armor in the closet. Brushing his hair, he looked like a normal man. 

"Okay," He said to them. "We can't tell everyone who we are, got it?" He explained to the children that they were in the past and needed to be careful. The only one that needed to change his name besides Carlos was Hades. It would draw too many eyes to the boy's name. Hades wanted to protest but Carlos was firm for it. "Go with your middle name."

Hades huffed but relented. He looked like his dad and it made Carlos smile. 

"All of you guys are Grimm, that's your last name. Okay?"

"What should we call you?" Briar asked him as he shoved the sword under the bed. He could not let anyone find the sword or it would raise too many alarms. His father's ring, gold with the crest of the griffin of Ulstead on it was tucked on his ring finger. The ring could be hidden better than a sword. 

"Charles Grimm," he said. It was the only name he could think of at the moment not knowing it would come back and bite him. "Uncle Charlie."

The kids nodded and off they went to find some food. They were turning the hall when they saw Fairy Godmother coming up the hallways probably to meet them. He gave his old headmistress and teacher a wave in greeting. She smiled at them.

"I hope you all slept well," She asked them. The kids all looked at Fairy Godmother shyly. They never got to meet the kind fairy and Elizabeth had been named after her grandmother's fairy godmother. "Carlos, I wanted to ask if you would like to teach Goodness Class?"

"Me?" He was taken by surprise. "Why?"

"Keep an eye on them," Fairy Godmother pointed out. "You must remember the lessons I taught?"

Carlos nodded. He did remember it. _Just pick the one that doesn't sound like any fun._ The memory had come back suddenly it made him smile. Fairy Godmother was right, if he taught Goodness Class then he could keep a better eye on his family but then there were his nieces and nephew. 

"What about my kids?" He asked the Fairy as she led them away from the hallway to the Goodness Classroom. The last time Carlos had been here it was to dig out the bodies of two of his old friends. Harry and Gil had sacrificed themselves to give the Rebellion time and to not give the hideouts and names of those that would have been hunted down by the Villains. They set off the bomb that they were planning to use on the old Museum which had been turned by the Evil Queen as a fortress with ammunition. Instead, they blew up the school making sure nobody got them alive. Uma had been distraught with grief when the news traveled to her. She had been in DunBroch with Evie and Mal when Carlos, Chad, and Lonnie arrived with the bodies. He still remembered her face, tears stained, her face crumbling in grief. Before the funeral, Carlos had found her ready to burn the ship but he had stopped her. She had let out a wail as she sobbed into his chest.

_"They promised me that they would come back, those idiots. They promised me that they would come back..."_

"Carlos? Did you hear what I said?" Fairy Godmother's voice snapped him back to the present. He shook his head. "I said that the children can keep me company in my office. I don't mind and I can give them little things to do like drawing, reading, or painting."

At the mention of painting, Elizabeth perked up. Carlos chuckled. She was her mother's daughter that was for sure. Not to mention that Elizabeth's older twin brothers Henri and Luke preferred watching their mom draw or sketch rather than joining in. "I think Elizabeth would like that. Right, Lilibet?" The young girl nodded making her blonde hair bounce. 

"Lilibet?"

"Her older brother Luke couldn't pronounce it when she was born so he called her Lilibet. It stuck within the family and we've been calling her that. Either that or little bird."

Fairy Godmother nodded and told the children that they will be going to the library to chose some books to read. Hippolyta and Briar were happy about that while Elizabeth asked Hades if he can help her pick a book out. The young boy agreed. 

That gave Carlos an idea if he was going to teach his friends and his younger self, he might as well help them out. When the war broke out and the villains released it had been chaos. Evie had been wholly unprepared with the information that had been thrown at her. With who her father was as well as Gil. Gil had found out that his mother had been alive all this time on Olympus. With Hercules dead, Evie had been named heir to Olympus since she had a stronger claim than Gil. He remembered the scars on his friend and sister's arms, white lines that looked like lightning across her arms. Evie needed this information as well as Gil once Carlos found a way to bring the Sea Trio to Auradon. _Harry and Gil won't be dead in the new timeline, not if I have anything to say about it._

"Fairy Godmother? I was wondering if you can bring me some books before class begins," The fairy looked at him and asked which books. "A book on the history of Auradon, another on magic. Theory Magic, to be exact. I know it's Goodness class but I think I may need to blend it with a bit of history to get the point across."

"What point would that be?"

"That they can detach themselves from their parents. That the sins of the parents are not granted to you permanently and that Auradon has its own darkness."

_We learned that early on but saw it first hand that Auradon had its own darkness that festered out of the Isle for years. King Adam had been blindsided by it because he thought he rounded up every villain. Instead, the true monster was pulling the strings all along until it was too late to cut the cord... that's when the war happened and all the heroes and their families had tried to go into hiding._

* * *

The classroom looked exactly the same that Carlos felt as if he had walked into a dream. He had almost cried when he saw Mal, Jay, and Evie all walk-in as well as his younger self. 

_God this is so weird! Jay doesn't have a beard and Evie doesn't have her scars that the lighting bolt left her, not her dad's helm and Mal... she doesn't have her wings and horns yet. This feels like a weird-ass dream._ He had also seen Audrey, his older sister looked at him curiously but greeted him nonetheless with Ben by her side as well as Chad. They called him Mr. Grimm as any student would say to a new teacher but he could feel the curious stares from the trio from the back of his head. He had even spotted Lonnie, the last time he saw his Lonnie, she had gone to retrieve any information from spies on the West side of Auradon. She was still away when Carlos and the kids time-traveled here by pure accidental luck. He knew once Lonnie did return, she would find everyone in a panic trying to find him and the kids. Uma was probably going to kill him when she found him. Probably hug him first then kill him in that exact order and then Evie would resurrect him and she, Mal, and Audrey would take turns killing him. 

"Hello?" He snapped to attention noticing the four VKs all waiting for him. _Oops._

Clearing his throat, putting on a smile he introduced himself. In the back of his mind, the first thing that crossed it when he saw himself was, _was I always that the short before puberty?_ He had grown close to Jay's height but he would always be the pup of their little family.

"I'm Charles Grimm, I'll be your teacher for this period," He said to the teens. His eyes flickered to his younger self, the white hair made him want to take his younger self and rinse out the white dye that Cruella had placed on it. Somehow she had found a way to have it permanently on his hair so he had shaved it off a month after the truth of his birth had been told. Cruella had sneered at him but he retaliated by releasing his parents and sister as well as King Adam, Queen Belle, Ben, Chad, Lonnie, Fairy Godmother, and the other royals and heroes. Evie, Jay, and Mal had helped now seeing the error of what they had done. Jane had already been dead for over a month when they escaped to the East of Auradon. "Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie. Nice to meet you guys."

"Nice leather jacket," Evie said nodding approvingly at his style. He grinned, leather was still their go-to in what they wore with pride. "I thought Auradon didn't have any leathers or anything cool looking."

He shrugged. "I'd like to think I am pretty much cooler than the teachers here but you didn't hear that from me. Okay, so this is Goodness Class, here I'll be teaching you well how to be good, moral lessons and a dash of history with it."

He could hear Jay's noise of disgust at the mention of history. "I know, right? Why history in a Goodness class? Rubbing it in that heroes won?" He waited to see the wheels in their heads turning slightly. He continued. "Not really. Auradon has this wholly than thou vibe which I do not agree with. The Isle may have villains in there but even Auradon itself isn't squeaky clean, so we are going to take a look at that as well as some history of magic that can be seen as good or grey."

"Grey?" Carlos, the younger version asked with his hand raised up. 

"Yeah," Charles nodded. "Grey Magic is something that is ancient predates back to the age of the Titans and the Olympians before Auradon or the Isle were even born. Lady Hecate, the goddess of magic is known to be the only one to use this magic, any magic at all. She is good nor evil. She is just magic." He wrote it down and could hear the sound of them scribbling it down. He got their attention somehow. "But for now we will do with goodness and how that correlates within us. We all have good in us even if we can't see it at the moment in time." He could see the look of skepticism in the four teens and he had to bite back a sigh. He forgot how much the Isle and their parents fucked them all up. It would be even more difficult once he got them to trust him and they talked about Uma-especially Mal. He needed Uma and Mal on the same team. The petty rivalry had to end for the sake of the children and the future, Uma and her crew had to be on their team. 

He could hear his Uma's voice ring out clearly in his mind, _"Well duh Spots! I'm always on your side till the end of the world."_ He wanted to see Uma but seeing another version-a past version of her was different than his Uma. Just like his family, their younger selves were selfish and just children. Their future versions were cynical, able to do the unthinkable even if it crossed morals just to make sure their family would survive and the Rebellion as well. Old Auradon is what they were called. That is what they were fighting for- a newer Auradon for their children to live in peace without bloodshed and villains. 

He needed to bring Uma, Harry, Gil, and all the other children of the Isle out of the Isle. As well as Hades. Maleficent had been too far gone when she had escaped, she had been murdered by the true monster and Hades had managed to escape to Olympus where the Gods took up arms in the war against the villains. Zeus was an asshole at times but he knew better when it came to mortal battles, he knew which side to align himself with and the other Olympians as well as the minor gods and goddesses followed suit. 

Charles continued with the lesson writing the homework which was a reading assignment on the Ancient Lands. He needed to prepare them, Evie more than anyone. If she was to be seen as a demigod of the Ancient Lands, she needed to know more about her heritage and he needed to get the stupid lessons her mom drilled into her out of his friend's head. She was a sharp girl and grew into one of their sneakiest warriors, sending hellhounds to attack the enemies and planned battle strategies with Gil before they had lost him. That was another thing, he needed to make sure Gil knew his mom was alive. He needed to get Jay and Evie together with Ben and Audrey. Mal and Chad needed to get together. 

Then there was Jane... he needed to make sure she wasn't repressed and he needed to talk to Fairy Godmother about her daughter. He could not have Jane fuck things up by grabbing the wand at the Coronation. 

God, this was giving him a headache. How can he do this by himself!? _You have Fairy Godmother on your side now_. He wasn't alone. This was a bizarre second chance and he would not throw it away. He needed to change the future and stop the villains from being free. 

"Jay, Carlos. The tourney field is something you guys can kick butt in," He slyly said. He heard his younger-self try to get out of it but Jay was already curious about it. He told them a quick description of the sport and could see Jay's eyes intrigued by it. "You guys would be a good fit for the team."

As the four teens left he overheard Evie loudly say, "He's cute. Like gruff cute." and Mal's response, "Eww E! He looks old, gross!" It almost made him burst out laughing. 

"I think he looks badass!" Jay said to his friends. "Did you see his scar! Dude looks like he got in fights before!"

 _If only you knew the full truth Jay_ , he thought. 

"Well besides looking cute," Evie said. "I think he's one of us. Lost with a good sense of fashion." He had almost wept when Evie said that and he steeled himself to not cry. _I am a lost boy and I'm trying to find myself again..._

_I promise I'm going to save you guys and give your kids a better ending in Auradon. I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic, who dis? hope you guys enjoy it, feedback is very much appreciated!


	2. He Said, "Will You Defeat Them? Your Demons, and All The Non-Believers The Plans That They Have Made?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth meets her dad. Chad and Mal warm up to each other. Help is on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> black parade song! that's it, that's the notes... enjoy the chapter! There will be some characters from the book canon in the fic. also, why did I just realize that Carlos is fourteen in the Descendants movies, this makes it even sadder!!! :( so that makes all the others twenty-nine in the future. I'll be making Uma fifteen while Harry and Gil are sixteen.

_Only the dead have seen the end of war,_ Carlos remembered reading it in a book once. Many who have died in the war have seen its end, but the living still saw the war go on. He saw it and could still see it in his dreams.

He walked past the students and went to find Fairy Godmother, who was having lunch with the young children in her office when Carlos walked in. He looked utterly relieved to find them there, all happy and content as they chatted amongst themselves. Hippolyta was thumbing through a book while her sister was looking at a magazine. Hades was currently helping Elizabeth draw something as they ate grapes and blueberries. He plucked a berry and tossed one in his mouth. 

"How was it?" Fairy Godmother asked him as she told the children to go to the room next to her office, which was a second office and was more of a decompressing area for her. It had a couch and a coffee table. Once the children were doing their own things, he closed the door and sat down in front of her. 

"It was good. Weird but good," He said. His mind wandered to Jane. "Fairy Godmother. Jane... she was the one who grabbed the wand. She wanted to change who she was, she saw herself terribly, and I need you to talk to her, to listen to her."

Fairy Godmother looked grim, and there was fear for her daughter; he could see it in her eyes. She loved her daughter dearly, and he knew how much Jane's death broke the fairy. 

"I don't want her to go after the wand again. She needs to see herself as she is, amazing and fun and just a cool girl. I can try to make sure Evie and Mal befriend her, truly, but you have to talk to her. Show her how to embrace both sides that she has. For her sake, please."

There was still Arabella, Ariel's niece, who almost destroyed Atlantis when she took her grandfather's triton. Ursula had used the girl's emotions to get the weapon and killed the girl. Uma had found her mother and killed her, taking the triton. Ariel's father, King Triton, had already been dead by that point, and his daughters were either dead or imprisoned, so Uma took over being Queen of Atlantis, drawing the sea to their side. 

He needed to somehow keep Arabella away from doing that stupid decision again, stealing the Trident, but he couldn't swim that deep in the ocean or talk politically with the immortal son of Poseidon. He wished Evie or Uma had been here with him. They could have been perfect for this to talk to old Triton. For now, he would need to make sure Arabella did not get the trident and that Jane never gets her hands on her mother's wand at Coronation.

Carlos would have to deal with that when it came. For now, he needed to make sure the future was slowly becoming better or try to shift things well to the good. 

"I will do what I can with Jane," She said, her voice vulnerable. Carlos nodded.

Now onto him trying to keep up the lie.

The kids were still doing their thing, but he could see Hades growing restless; the young boy wanted to leave and walk around. Carlos didn't blame his nephew one bit. His mind then wandered to his friends, his family, who were probably freaking out over his disappearance, and those of their own children. He wondered who was taking care of _Fantasia_ and _Lady_.

Fantasia was Evie's dog while he had Lady, a pretty hellhound that he and Evie had found years ago when they went to find obsidian in the Underworld. They found two hellhounds that had been from Cerberus litter. Cerberus was a boy, but Evie told him that it could be Nyx who could be the mother. Either way, they took the hellhounds and raised them, trained them. They were larger than any dog Carlos had ever seen. It had reminded him of Dude, who was loyal even to the bitter end when his mother took the poor dog away, ripping him from Carlos's arms. Evie had Fantasia, and Carlos had Lady. 

He wished Lady was here. His canine companion was a large German Shepard dog, bigger than a regular german shepherd as she obviously was a hellhound her fur was black. At the same time, Fantasia's was a mixed color of black and brown but Lady had a friendly personality, always rough-housing with her sister Fantasia. He hoped Lady was good; Uma was probably using Lady to find him.

_Uma..._

_Uma, who was probably trying to find him and the kids._

_Uma, who was eight months pregnant with his kids - their first kids, twins to be exact. He felt guilt and wondered why Blue even did this in the first place to send him and a bunch of young kids time traveling to the past._

"Carlos?" Fairy Godmother looked at him, and he gave his old teacher a sheepish smile. "I was wondering... in the future, did you ever come across the Blue Fairy?"

"Yes," He said. Carlos remembered the Blue Fairy well, and she was one of their biggest allies. She was the reason he had been brought here by accident, or maybe she knew what she had been doing. He wouldn't know and probably never will know. "I've met her before. She helped us many times in-"

He was interrupted by the yells of the kids. They ran out, all clamoring to him. He noticed three kids... where was Elizabeth?

"Where's Elizabeth? Where is she?" He kept his voice from yelling at the three children. 

"She left!"

"It wasn't my fault! She just kept asking too many questions; it was annoying!"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Carlos!"

He sighed, burying his face in his hands. Not barely a day in, and he lost one of the kids. Some Uncle he was. 

"I'll go and find Elizabeth. Stay. Here." He told the three remaining children, who looked guilty and nodded. Fairy Godmother got up to help as well, and off the two went to find a lost little girl. 

* * *

"Lady!" The hellhound ran back to her, the voice of Uma. She whined as she sniffed for the trail that ended here.

Uma scratched the hell hound's head when she bent down as Uma, and Chad observed where Lady leads them with Carlos's scent to the scene of an old tree trunk seemingly undisturbed besides the trees all broken and splintered around it. It had been a day since he and the kids disappeared. Fairy Godmother had cautioned them all, but Uma was determined to find him and the children. 

_Damn you, Carlos! You better be alive or..._ She refused to think him dead. He was not dead. He couldn't be. She already lost Harry and Gil; she would not lose Carlos. 

"What the hell..." Chad murmured. He and Uma instantly pulled out their swords, ready for a fight. They noticed a flicker of light as if a star had fallen to earth. The Blue Fairy was here. She was petite with brown hair and blue eyes, she looked younger, but it was known at least to them that Blue Fairy was the elder of the sisters. Fairy Godmother was the youngest. "Blue!"

"Hello children," Fairies always called them children even though they hadn't been children in a long time. Not since the Barrier went up, and when it came down, they hadn't been children. "He is not here."

"Where is he then! What did you do to him?" Uma's temper was already high, and she was ready to pick a fight. She needed answers, and she needed them now.

"He is in Auradon but not this Auradon. I sent him back in time."

"With the children!?" Chad yelled at the Fairy. "They're children! Why would you send children back in time!"

"I am sorry," She told them. "But there was no other way. The times need to change. It may look heartless on my part, but someone needed to be sent back to change what had happened."

"Then send us back as well!"

"If you want that, it will be two people. I already sent enough as it is. Sending more can disrupt the times. It must be two this way," She said. "Let us go; the woods are not as safe as they were before."

Uma agreed and climbed on Lady's back. Chad followed and held on tight to Uma as she gave the hellhound a command. Lady gave a running start and disappeared into the shadows. They made it back to DunBroch, where Ben and Jay were waiting for them. She heard shouts as her friends all came out to see them with Blue right next to them landing gracefully. They all looked tired, confused and when Uma and Chad returned without Carlos or the children, disheartened. Mal was the first to greet them and the others as well, but it lacked the happiness in it. Neither Uma nor Chad could blame them. 

They went inside the grand hall where Queen Merida was looking over battle reports. She looked just as surprised to see the Blue Fairy as well as Fairy Godmother. They were the last two fairies alive. The Villains had all but decimated them during the war leaving Fairy Godmother and the Blue Fairy as the last of their kind. The pixies survived well, which was thanks in part to the Lost Boys and England all making sure Neverland survived. Still, they had little power but helped during raids against the other side. 

Uma explained what had happened to everyone and what Blue had told them about sending two more back to help Carlos. 

"What about him," Evie asked. "Won't he sense us being in there?"

"He will," Blue said gravely. "His powers know no limit as it is darkness. That is unless light wins. The journey to save us will not be easy, children. Yet it must be done; it must be done for all that is good. For us all."

"Then send us all back!" Audrey said, an angry line forming where smiles used to be. 

"It will disrupt-"

"The time is already being disrupted by Carlos being there in the first place!"

"I'll go," Uma said suddenly. Fighting was going nowhere, and someone needed to help Carlos. 

"Me too," Mal said.

”Mal-“ Chad had said, but his wife shook her head stubbornly.

”Elizabeth needs me. You and I know that, Chad. Carlos won’t help her if she throws a tantrum, and my younger self won’t know what the hell to do! Plus, Uma is going to need help considering she’s pregnant.”

Uma hugged. “I’m pregnant, not hindered, Mal.”

”This is your first kid!” Audrey pointed out. “Of course we are worried!”

“Still, I’m going.” Uma crossed her arms and had a look that held no room for arguments. She was going even if she was eight months pregnant, almost nine, unlike Audrey, who was one month pregnant.

”If two adult VKs show up, they aren’t going to trust you,” Ben said, steering the conversation back to time travel. “You know how the adults were.”

Uma and Mal both nodded. 

“I’ll go,” Chad said. Mal protested. 

“Luke and Kit-“

”Have us,” Evie said suddenly. “They’ll be safe in Neverland. Peter will be able to protect them there and Tink as well.”

Mal looked at Chad, silently asking her husband if this was what he wanted to do. He responded with a nod. The twins were called, their parents told them that they were going on a mission to get Elizabeth, Carlos, and their cousins. The boys understood but begged their parents to take them with them on the mission. Chad and Mal refused. 

“We’ll see you soon,” Chad said as he ruffled his son's hair. Luke and Kit had inherited Chad’s curls and hair color, but the boys had their mom’s green eyes. The twins hugged their parents tightly and then stood next to Evie and Jay. But before they left, Uma requested for Anthony Tremaine to come with them. 

"He's Carlos squire and the one only beside Carlos and me-"

"And me," Evie piped up, knowing where Uma was going. Uma nodded.

"He's the only one that knows besides us how to work with Lady. We'll be taking her with us, but we'll need Anthony as well. He's a kid, but he's older than his body."

"But he's a kid, Uma." Audrey protested.

"He hasn't been a kid since he was born," Uma said to her friend. "None of us who were born on the Isle had been children since we were born on the Isle. He knows what to do, Carlos trained him well and loved him dearly. He'd be worried about him, and you know that. Anthony is coming with us."

Evie was given the go-ahead to send a message via magic to Neverland. Her hands glowed as she sent the shadow away to quickly give Tinkerbell the message to bring Anthony to DunBroch. A few hours later, a twinkle in the sky grew closer, and they saw Tink with Anthony flying next to the pixie straight to them. The doors opened, letting the two of them in, flying inside. Landing, he ran up to Uma and greeted her cheerfully. A boy with red hair, the twelve-year-old boy, had been twelve since fourteen years ago after the war began. He was sent to Neverland and was a Squier of Carlos, always coming and going wherever they were to train with Carlos. He would always send the boy back for his safety. He would stay twelve for a long time, yet he was older than what he should have been. Uma told him point-blank what they were doing. Anthony nodded and told them, "I'll go. He's my friend and my mentor. He'll need all the help."

”We’ll see you guys soon!” Ben called out to his friends. Uma smiled weakly and hoped they did. 

“Then the three of you shall go. Good luck, children,” Blue said and pointed her wand at them. Mal held tightly to Chad and Uma’s hands. Anthony held onto Uma's hand. 

Next to them, Lady stood close as if sensing where they were going. Blue smiled. “Make sure they do not see the hellhound as a threat. She will be needed to defeat them.”

Uma nodded. In the back of her mind, she wondered what the price for this would be. She cradled her bump and prayed to whatever gods there were that they would survive this whole ordeal. 

* * *

Chad heard the crying under the bleachers. He had come back from a quick short team meeting since Tourney training was canceled until the big hole in the middle of the field was covered up. The coach had told them that the two VKs, Jay and Carlos, were going to join, and Chad was curious about why they were joining. He could hear his mom’s voice chiding him, telling me not to judge so quickly. _Give them a chance._

He noticed the little girl with blonde curls looking around helplessly as she cried. When he got closer, wondering why a six-year-old was here at Auradon Prep-was when she took notice of him, she waved sadly, and Chad felt like whoever made her cry was not going to have a good time if he found them. 

“Hi,” he said softly, crouching down when he got closer to the little girl. “Are you okay? What’s your name?”

”My name is Lilibet,” she said to him. “They mean.”

”Who is?”

”My cousins.”

”Are your parents here?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m with my Uncle. He’s with the fairy!”

Chad frowned until he realized she meant the headmistress. “You mean Fairy Godmother.”

The little girl nodded. 

“Well, let’s take you to her and see if your Uncle is there. He must be worried about where you are. Okay?”

”Okay.” She grabbed his hand, and they began to walk away out from under the bleachers. They walked away and entered the open campus hallway. Lilibet, which Chad thought was sounding similar to Elizabeth, seemed utterly cheerful. An easy-going kid, Chad thought. He noticed the new teacher Mr. Grimm and Fairy Godmother, seemingly searching for someone, and Chad had a feeling about who they were searching for. He waved his hand and shouted, "Aunt Jackie!" Fairy Godmother noticed them and looked relieved. 

"Uncle Charlie!" Lilibet ran to Mr. Grimm's open arms. He picked the young girl up and hugged her tightly. He looked relieved to have the little girl back. 

"Thank you, Chad," He said to the teen. Chad nodded, glad to have helped and very glad to see Elizabeth back with her family. Yet there was a part of him that didn't want to see the little girl go. 

"Bye-bye, Chad," she waved at him. He waved back. 

"Bye Lilibet," Chad said, and before he would stop himself, he added. "Maybe we can go play or something. I'd be happy to babysit for you, Mr. Grimm if you want." He hastily added, not sure if his teacher would allow such a thing. 

Mr. Grimm smiled, and it made him softer, younger. The scar was a curiosity amongst the students, and they all had come up with different theories as to how the new teacher got it. Jane thought that he fought the Hydra while Lonnie and Aziz argued that it was a bandit in the Sherwood Forest. Something in Chad thought that maybe it was due to something darker. The scar wasn't faint, but it wasn't new either, almost as if it was in the middle of healing. As if it would permanently be like that for a long time. 

"Sure," He said. "Just don't fall behind on your classwork, okay? Maybe Lilibet can teach you how to paint; she's good at finding new ways to do a splatter paint canvas." He chuckled as Lilibet nodded with a huge smile on her face. 

"Yeah," Chad said. "Just let me know, and I can watch her."

"Thanks, Chad." Mr. Grimm said to him. 

"Thank you, Chad, for finding her and bringing her back to the school," Fairy Godmother said. Her eyes looked kind, but there was sadness that Chad did not understand. Yet she smiled at it vanished in the blink of an eye that it was as if he had imagined it. 

When he got to his next class, he wondered about the VKs. They were new here, and maybe his mom had a point; they shouldn't be judged too quickly. They could be more than just what Auradon and the Isle expected them to be. 

The next day, he found himself sitting next to Mal. The daughter of Maleficent ignored him, but he couldn't ignore her, her hair was a pretty purple that stood out in Auradon, and her green eyes had a twinkle in them as they began their class. The class in question was Art. Mal found herself in the class with Chad. He took it as an easy class, he wasn't much of an artist, but he did appreciate how artists and painters did their work well to turn it into a masterpiece. Mal seemed to appreciate it that way until the teacher told them that the people sitting next to them would be their partners for the rest of the semester. Chad had been partnered with Mal. 

_Get to know her. Don't judge quickly. Be kind._

He turned to face her. She had a look that could be described as a bit sour, as if she thought this was the ploy all along. He mustered a friendly smile. 

"So," He began. "Should we do a portrait for the project?"

" _Of you_?" She said snarkily.

"I was actually thinking of _you_ ," He said and smiled wider, seeing her cheeks turning pink. "We could have one by a field of meadows or by the lake with a willow tree. I think a portrait of you is a good idea."

"And you can paint?" Mal asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Now he looked embarrassed and ducked his head. "Well... no, but I am good at taking pictures. I can take a picture of you, get the paints and things and I can help you. It is a project; we got to do it together."

Mal looked slightly impressed, and Chad felt that maybe it might be a compliment with the ay she approved of his planning for their project. 

"Alright," She said.

By the time class ended, it was all anyone could talk about that Chad and Mal had been partnered up in their Art class. Audrey and Ben had come by. Audrey acted as if it was the most horrible thing, but Chad quickly defended his classmate; a protectiveness had come out. 

"Let's give them a chance," He told Audrey, who frowned. Ben looked delighted to hear his friend say that. "Give them the benefit of the doubt; they aren't their parents, Audrey. Give them a chance."

* * *

Fairy Godmother was glad that it was Friday and did not have any meetings with the staff. She left Auradon Prep early and headed straight towards the Ancient Lands where her sister now resided in. She got to the temple of Hecate in Eleusis. There was a couple of willow trees swaying in the wind. 

"Jacqueline?"

She whirled around to see her elder sister. The Blue Fairy, just like her, never aged. They were beings beyond the lives of mortals, magical fairies. 

"Hello Clarissa," She smiled. When the anti-magic laws went into effect, Blue disappeared. She had told her younger sister that she would not stand behind the King in hurting their people and decided to go into hiding. She gave her sister her name and left. She heard stories of her sister, Clarissa Blue as a historian around Auradon, setting the stories straight, which was Blue's way of sticking it to the King and Queen of Auradon. Blue always knew how to bend the rules. "I've come for help."

"I know," She said and motioned for her to come into the temple. Following her, Clarissa continued. "They have come for help as well; you are lucky they just arrived. Darkness is surrounding Auradon quickly."

Darkness? 

"What people, sister?"

"The same as the man that traveled in time," Blue said with a smile, and that was when Fairy Godmother took notice of the four occupants in the room. She recognized Chad instantly and Mal. She did not know who the young boy and the woman with braids were, but she obviously took notice of the large black dog in the middle of the room resting its head on the altar of the temple. She wondered if Lady Hecate would be okay with that happening?

"Chad?" Fairy Godmother walked towards him and reached out, taking his face in her hands. She was shaking slightly and saw Chad smiling, his eyes crinkling and the blue eyes that reminded her of Cinderella looking back at her. 

"Hi Aunt Jackie," She had just seen his younger self and now saw his older future self. He looked like a proper King of Charmington. Then there was Mal, who embraced Fairy Godmother tightly. Her hair was the same purple shade but longer in a single braid with a few strands framing her face. When she pulled back, that was where it clicked in her mind. Mal is Elizabeth's mother! How could she have not seen it sooner! They had the exact smile!

The other two introduced themselves as Anthony Tremaine, Carlos squire, Uma, Ursula's daughter, and Carlos's fiancee. 

"Do you know where Carlos is? And the children?" Mal asked, worried over the safety of them. 

"They are in Auradon Prep. Carlos and the children are safe; he's teaching Goodness class if you can believe it. I've been helping him try to change things, and I came here for more help, but I think I found much more," She said smiling. 

"To change the future," Uma said to the fairy. "Just like we must do. We have to change it."

* * *

"A Prince!" Evie gushed. "You're so lucky, Mal! Chad is so handsome. Not as handsome as Ben."

Behind Evie, Jay made a face. Mal shook her head, wondering when those two would just stop dancing around one another. Jay and Evie would always flirt, but deep down, they did care and love each other dearly. Mal could see that as well as Carlos. 

Mal rolled her eyes at her friend's comment.

"It's not that big of a deal, E. He's just my partner for Art class. I still don't know why Mr. Grimm wants us to put ourselves out there in Auradon." She huffed and crossed her arms. Mr. Grimm had told them that their assignment was to sign up for an extra curriculum and that they couldn't worm their way out of it. The boys had signed up for Tourney tryouts once the field was fixed, while Mal was to take an Art class after Grimm saw her drawing of the wand, and for Evie, he pointed her towards one of the Magic Theory classes. All four kids did sign up, and Fairy Godmother applauded them for taking the step to being more active at the school. 

"Well, at least once we get the wand, this won't matter," Carlos pointed out, which Mal had to agree. Yet there was a small part of her asking her, _Do you really want this? You have a warm bed, food and your mom isn't yelling at you all day!_ She pushed those thoughts aside. If she didn't do this, her mom and her friends' parents would do much worse to them. 

They had to do this. They must not fail. 

* * *

Carlos received the news in the afternoon as all the students were eating dinner in the cafeteria or outside as they would during lunch, Carlos was in his room with the kids. He was looking over his lesson plans as Elizabeth scribbled a drawing. Hippolyta was reading a book she had found in the library while Hades and Briar were playing a game. Candyland if he remembered correctly. 

A knock at the door interrupted them. 

"Briar, can you get that?" He asked his niece as he scribbled down which page of the book he would be using for tomorrow. He was glad his younger self and his friends were getting involved albeit by force into Auradon's classes and activities. 

"Uncle Chad!" Briar cried out. He froze and panicked silently wondering how he was going to explain things to Chad's younger self why a little girl called him uncle. Turning around much to his relief and shock it was his Chad. And his Mal, Anthony, and his Uma all coming inside with Fairy Godmother behind them. He got up just as the others took notice of who was here. 

Instantly the children all hurried to the newcomers happy to see them. Especially little Elizabeth who cried out, "Mama!" and "Papa!" to her parents. Chad and Mal looked relieved to see their daughter safe, hugging her. Mal embraced her nieces and nephew as well, kissing the top of their heads asking them if they were okay.

Uma silently made her way to Carlos's side and hugged him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck inhaling her scent. He was happy she was here but also worried considering she was eight months into her pregnancy and almost towards the delivery date. Still, he was glad to see she and the babies were alright. Pulling back he kissed her. 

"You scared me back there," Uma said murmuring to him her eyes showing vulnerability. Carlos nodded and apologized. 

"How did you guys get here?" He asked as he still held Uma in his arms. She rested her head on his chest, his chin on top of her head. 

"Exactly like you," Chad said to his friend. "Blue sent us."

Of course, she would. Luckily their entrance didn't leave a huge crater in the middle of the Tourney field. 

"Your changing things," Mal stated. 

"I am," Carlos said. "I have to for good. It has to be done even if I have to pay the price for it."

"We will pay the price for it," Mal said. "We're in this together. Even Ben, Jay, Audrey, Lonnie, and Evie all agreed to pay the price."

"Lonnie came back?" He asked hurriedly. "She made it back safe then?"

"Yeah, not a scratch on her. Audrey will probably tell her what happened and knowing her, she's going to go with the four of them to meet us here at this timeline." Chad explained. "We aren't doing this alone. You aren't doing this alone."

"You know the price will be," Carlos told them. "It will be heavy on us. We'll remember the war and everything."

"As long as Auradon stands, that's a price I'm willing to pay," Mal told her little brother. "It's what we're all willing to pay at this point. The kids won't remember what happened, they don't need that."

Carlos agreed. The children were innocent.

"Where will you be? We can't all be teachers here!" Carlos said looking at Fairy Godmother. She shrugged. 

"I could always need more helping hands," She said which made Chad smile. "Chad, last time I checked Coach Jenkins is in needing help finding coaching assistance. Mal and Uma..." She trailed off not sure where the two women could be placed in Auradon Prep. 

Chad came up with the idea quickly. "Why not have them help Carlos with Goodness Class."

"Good idea!" Fairy Godmother said. "Carlos is making it more with Goodness, Magical Theory, and history. I'm sure you three can teach them more."

"Especially once Uma and her boys get here from the Isle," Mal said. "We have to bring them sooner rather than later."

Fairy Godmother seemed pleased and left to go make the announcements for tomorrow. As well as make sure that the new adults got some time alone to talk amongst themselves. She needed to wrap her head around this. As long as King Adam or Queen Belle never knew about this, her children would change things for the better. She knew what the darkness was, Blue had told her before she left the Ancient Lands and felt that she should have seen this coming. She should have seen this coming but like everyone else fell in a sense of security in Auradon. The Isle held all the villains, they were safe! Yet even that was not enough to keep him away as he evaded the Isle or being locked up. 

"Yeah but last time I checked both of you still had that rivalry going on." Carlos pointed out which made both women grimace. They had clearly forgotten about that part.

"We'll figure it out," Mal said dismissively and Carlos knew that she would try to wing it while Uma shook her head. Mal took notice of that and raised her eyebrow at her future sister-in-law. "What?" 

"That's not a good plan," Uma pointed out in a deadpanned voice. "We need to make sure Ben brings me and my boys to Auradon before the Coronation. Somehow get you and me to have a cease-fire to save Auradon and the future. Yeah, let's not wing this one, Mal."

Carlos held up his hands. "We can brainstorm this out later. You guys just got here, lets rest, and then we can discuss how to convince Prince Ben on bringing more kids here. For now, let's rest. We're here and safe."

He noticed the grim looks from the others and he realized that they didn't tell him anything else besides being here. "What? What is it?"

"We might not be the only ones to have traveled here Carlos," Chad said. 

_No... No, no no no_

"He's going to hit much more quickly. If he knows-"

"We don't truly know that," Mal said. "If anything, he could still wait."

"Mal. He's been waiting for twenty-something years to destroy everything and let the villains run free! Chernabog knows nothing but darkness and hell!" Carlos raised his voice slightly but Uma placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath he controlled his temper. "We have to make sure he doesn't know we're here. You know what he'll do. You know what Chernabog is capable of doing! You know what he's done!"

"I know what he's done, Carlos! I was there when my mom presented me to him like a lamb for the slaughter with Evie and Jay!" Mal yelled back. Mal took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and then opened them looking at her brother. She still felt the guilt of what she had done years ago after the barrier broke. Carlos never held it over his friend's heads but he could still see their guilt hanging over them like a dark cloud. "I know. I just don't want them to go down the same road."

"Mal," Carlos said softly. "It wasn't your fault. You guys were just as much a captive as I was back then. We need to make sure now that the Villains can't escape or Chernabog won't use them as their army. We need Uma, Harry, and Gil here."

"We'll think better when we get some rest," Chad said ending the conversation. 

Carlos agreed. Elizabeth was still in her dad's arms as Mal with her wand, made out of obsidian with silver created an extra room for them. The Charmings said their goodnight while Carlos made Briar, Hippolyta, and Hades go to bed. Hades muttered about having the bed for himself which made Carlos chuckle. 

When he got back to the room, Uma had changed into a large t-shirt. Her bump was shown fainty as she was already in bed laying on her side. When he got in bed, he could hear her voice, "We still need to figure out names."

The statement alone made Carlos shake with laughter. Uma twisted around facing him with an amused smile on her face. "Really? Even after time-traveling your thought as we are laying here in bed is about the names of the twins?" Uma rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm. 

"Yeah well, I don't trust you in naming our kids _Charles_ ," Which made Carlos stop laughing and stick his tongue out at her. Now it was Uma's turn to laugh softly. "Really Carlos? _Charles_?"

"It was the only name that I thought of! My brain was thinking more of a plan than a stupid name," He grumbled. Uma snickered. His face then turned thoughtful. "What about Harry?" He said softly to her. 

Uma bit her lip trying to stop the emotions from overflowing. It still hurt to think about her first-mate and dear friends. They were alive right now with her on the Isle but where she came from they were nothing but ashes, their spirits down in the Underworld. She nodded not trusting her voice knowing that it would break from emotions. Carlos pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. 

"What about Charlie for-"

" _Absolutely not_ ," was Uma's response as they fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that do not know, Arabella is one of the granddaughters of King Triton in the Descendants Book. She appeared in Book 3: Rise of The Isle of The Lost.


	3. We Think She's All The Seven Wonders of The World But There's a Sadness Hidden In The Bizarre Moonlight and Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New faculty come to Auradon Prep and gain an enemy in the process

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from The Bangles song, Bell Jar. Hope you guys like the chapter, short compared to the last one but for good reason. The next one will be longer.

Chad walked into Goodness class, seeing the four VKs there. Mr. Grimm hadn't come in yet, so the four students were relaxing as Chad walked in. Evie was the first to notice him, her brown eyes lighting up and her smile widened. She beckoned Chad over and poked Mal in the arm to get her attention. 

"Hi Chad," She said in an amused tone that reminded him of whenever Audrey greeted Ben. Jay and Carlos looked at Chad as if sizing him up; at least Jay was. Carlos gave him a nod. Mal just looked confused as to why he was here. He held up his bag, which had paintbrushes sticking out, and another bag full of paint and a large canvas. Mal realized he had gotten the stuff for their project. "What brings you here?"

"Hello, folks!" Mr. Grimm walked in, followed by three adults and Fairy Godmother. Evie eyes the new people. 

She whispered to Mal, "They are way cuter than Mr. Grimm." which made Mal shush her. Jay pouted, looking at Evie. She gave him a pat on the cheek, yet he still pouted, thinking he was cuter than those new teachers. He was!

"Hey Chad," Mr. Grimm waved at the young man. "What brings you to Goodness Class?"

"I was wondering if Mal and I can work on our project? It's for Art class." Chad explained. "I don't have class right now, so I wanted to know if that's okay, Mr. Grimm?"

"I think it should be okay, Charlie," The blonde woman said before the teacher could speak up. Charles raised an eyebrow at the woman who gave him an unreadable look (unreadable for the teens, not between the adults), and he conceded. "If you guys need help with the project, I'd be more than happy to help."

"And who are you?" Mal asked with narrow eyes. 

It did not bother the woman with the tone that Mal used for her question. "Angelina Woods and this is my husband, Elias Woods." The man with curly blonde hair and beard gave them a friendly wave. 

Evie noticed the other person was a woman with the dark teal braids, and it reminded her of another person with light teal braids back on the Isle. She wondered if they were related, they looked similar that there could be a possibility. Evie and the other teens all noticed the pregnancy and how Mr. Grimm was with the woman with dark teal hair. 

"My name is Nymeria Grimm," she said, her dark brown eyes looking at each teen as if searching for something in them. They all felt her eyes holding them accountable for something that they did not know. 

"Are you one of his sisters?" Jay asked, which made her laugh.

"Nope," There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I'm his wife."

 _Oh, good for him_. 

"Mr. Elias will be helping Coach Jenkins with the Tourney Team this year," Fairy Godmother explained to her students. Chad was happy to hear that. This season was gearing up for a rematch between Auradon Knights against The Sherwood Falcons. They had already defeated many of the other teams across the kingdom, coming close to losing with the Ancient Lands team, The Olympian Academy Eagles, as well as the Arendelle Academy Nokks. If Chad remembered correctly, Queen Elsa decided the mascot to be the Nokk, a rare mythical water horse fond of the Ice Queen. If they beat Sherwood like they beat the Neverland Prep Lost Boys, there could be hope to go up against the Imperial Academy, who had won the last two Tourney Leagues back-to-back. "While his wife, Mrs. Angelina Woods, and Mrs. Nymeria Grimm will be here to help Mr. Grimm with homework for you children. Mrs. Woods is an excellent artist, and Mrs. Nymeria is well educated, so they are here to help as well as teach the lessons alongside Mr. Grimm."

"Basically, make it more fun," Nymeria said, mostly teasing her husband, who rolled his eyes. There was a goofy smile on his face, and it made him seem younger when he smiled. With the introductions out of the way, Fairy Godmother left with Mr. Woods, and Mr. Grimm began the lesson. He talked about the history of good and evil. 

Nymeria was sitting down, scribbling something on the spiral notebook she had brought. Simultaneously, Angelina seemed to walk over to Chad as Mr. Grimm continued with his lecture, the VKs scribbling down what he was writing on the board. He just sat behind Mal and Evie, silently pulling out the paint and the canvas. 

"So what are you guys going to paint," She whispered as her brother talked about the history of evil even though Chad was sure those kids knew it already. "The hills?" She joked, and he smiled at her. Something about Mrs. Woods felt comfortable to talk to her, like when he talked to Audrey or Jane or Ben, maybe even Mal if he could find a way. _Even miracles take time_ , his mom would tell him. Maybe time was what he needed for Mal to talk to him, like a friend. Ugh, something about that made it worse. 

"We have a project. Pick a type of painting to do, and we decided on a portrait of Mal."

Angelina smiled. "That's neat. I remember doing a portrait of my husband after we got married."

"My dad loves portrait paintings," Chad said to her. "He loves my mom's the most. He used to tell me that he had told her that someone should paint a portrait of her. And then he did just that, commissioned someone to do so." It was one of the many romantic gestures Prince Kit did for Cinderella, which his mother was fond of to this day. 

Someone cleared their throat. Mal looked at Angelina suspiciously but gave Chad a look as well, unreadable to most, not to Angelina. She knew that look. "Are we painting or what?" It sounded rude, but Chad took it in strides. Maybe that was how they managed to be married for almost eleven years. They somehow balanced each other out. The most unlikely pair ever to end up together, yet they made it work. Looking at her younger self and the younger version of her husband, she knew that this could be a better chance for them as well. 

"I'll leave you guys to your portrait," Angelina said, getting out of the way. Mal slid next to Chad, still having a distrustful look on her face directed at the newbie teacher. "Good luck, you two." _You'll both need it._

* * *

She followed her younger-self following Jane into the bathroom but kept at a distance. Angelina had seen Mal and Ben talking. Heard Chad once again defend the four villain kids from Audrey with Ben backing him up. Yet, she was more concerned about what was about to happen when Mal saw Jane walk past her and followed like a lion about to get its prey. Entering the bathroom behind them, she stopped at the entrance, grateful for her time as a spy, working quietly in the shadows before killing the enemy soldiers or, in one instance, the Queen of Hearts, thus taking Wonderland back to Auradon. The White Queen had been grateful and helped fight to send her armies into the Summerlands and defended around Wonderland. 

Quietly, Angelina heard the conversation that had haunted her for years after the barrier fell.

"It's Jane, right?" _Ugh, even now, hearing her younger-self oozing false sweetness made her stomach curl up._ God, she was terrible! "Ugh. I always loved that name. Jane." _Ha! Liar!_ Yet there was irony considering their youngest had her middle name, Jane. Named after the childhood friend of her father. The girl that took the wand. The girl that just wanted to be pretty and just wanted to fit in. Closing her eyes briefly, Angelina could still hear the echoes of Jane's screams as Maleficent-

_I'm not letting it happen again. Not again._

"That's cool," Jane said, frightened. 

"Don't go!" Came Mal's shout, and Angelina winced. She could see it now, how Mal played sweet innocent girl to Jane's anxious self. She quietly walked closer, listening to the girls converse. "I guess I was just hoping to make a friend. You probably have all the friends you need, though, uh?"

"Hardly." Oh, Jane. She vowed that would change. Maybe get Evie to take her under her wing and Carlos to befriend her. Although her princely little brother was going to change things once the big secret came out about Carlos's true parentage, they were similar. God, now that was going to be a bomb that was going to destroy everything. They would need to make sure to keep an eye on poor Carlos. She had told Charles that much; if they told the kids sooner, probably before the revelation, then it could help ease Carlos's mind about him being a prince. But that would be after coronation went smoothly and bringing Uma and her boys from the Isle-as well as all the kids. 

No VK left behind.

"Really? I mean, with your mom being Fairy Godmother and Headmistress?" Mal said in soft disbelief, hamming it up. Angelina stood in the shadows, waiting. "I mean, not to mention your own... Personality." _Nice one, Mal. Real complimentary shit right there._ Mal laughed softly, but it came out almost a cackle. So much like Maleficent. 

"I'd rather be pretty," Jane responded. "You've got great hair."

"You know what?" _No! No, no, no, no, no! Don't; please don't!_ "I just have the thing for that!"

_Fuck!_

She could hear Mal giggle as she began the spell. The damn spell that changed everything for them. 

"Beware, forswear, replace the old with brand new hair." Angelina could sense the magic in the air and knew the dead was done. "Wow. You almost don't notice your other features."

"Do my nose!" 

Okay, that's it. Time to stop this once and for all before it got out of hand. She walked into the bathroom, and before Mal had time to tuck the book away, she got to the young purple-haired girl and plucked it out of her hand. 

"That's _mine_! Give it back!" Mal protested, but Angelina gave her a look. A deadly look full of warnings as she stared at the daughter of Maleficent. 

"Girls, come with me," Her voice was icy as she took Jane and Mal by their shoulders and navigated them out of the bathroom towards Fairy Godmother's office. The magic spellbook was tightly held in her hand as she entered the office with the girls in tow. Fairy Godmother looked concerned when she brought her daughter and Mal. She handed her Mal's spellbook, which made her eyebrows raise. "Mal had this with her. Giving Jane a makeover."

"Mal," Fairy Godmother said, showing full sternness in her face. "Magic is not allowed in Auradon anymore. And Jane, you know better."

"I just wanted to look pretty!" Jane said. "Don't I deserve that?" She sounded so sad, and it broke Angelina's heart all over again.

"You are pretty, Beautiful," She said to the young teen. It made her squeak out a thank you, but Mal just looked sullen. Angry that she got caught. Good. If she wants to fight me, I'll show her who she's dealing with. But another part of her chided for wanting to pick a fight with a sixteen-year-old who was just wanting to make her tyranny of a mother proud. Still, maybe a small fight? No. 

"The spellbook will be kept with me for now," Fairy Godmother stated, making Mal begin to protest only to be silenced by a look of warning once again being sent her way by Angelina. She really did not like this new teacher. Not one bit. Not at all. "If I catch that you were doing magic again, Mal, it will be detention with me for a month. Is that understood?"

Mal nodded, taking defeat not so well. "Mal, you are excused. Angelina, thank you, dear. I need to speak to Jane privately." Angelina nodded, giving Fairy Godmother a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. Mal left, not noticing Fairy Godmother slip the spellbook back to Angelina, nor did Jane notice. She knew that it would be better kept in her hands if Mal decided to sneak back in here to take it back. She would know, after all. Mal was her. 

She found her husband clapping Jay on the back with a smile on both their faces as well as Carlos. With them was Aziz, and in Carlos's arms, Dude. The old mutt had died at the hands of Cruella; she remembered it well. Seeing him in Carlos's arms made her smile. She tucked the spellbook in her bag before the boys noticed anything. Mal was already there; she took Jay and Carlos away glared at Angelina before walking away. Aziz said a polite goodbye to them. 

The last time she had seen Aziz was back in DunBroch, waiting for Lonnie to arrive. They had two young kids, Ming-Na and Zamir. Ming was the same age as Briar. Both Briar and Ming looked up to Hippolyta. It was adorable, and it made her miss them all dearly. Her thoughts strayed to her two boys. Luke and Kit were eight years old, the same curly blonde hair as her husband, but they had gotten her eyes. Green eyes that looked as deadly as a curse. She had been glad that Elizabeth inherited her father's blue eyes. 

"Hello," Elias said, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and kissed her cheek. She smiled and held up her bag. 

Her green eyes glinted when she told him what was inside. "Guess who got a new book?"

"You mean?"

"Yup," She said, popping the P at the end. She felt a small victory for the future, yet there was so much to be done. The couple walked back to the room. Fairy Godmother had gotten them a room next to Charles and Nymeria. The children still slept in the room adjacent to Charles's room. Even though she loved being with her parents, Elizabeth always did not like being left out of the 'sleepover' her older cousins got. Hades groaned when he found out he had to share with Elizabeth. They entered the room, closed it, and for good measure locked it. She took off her shoes, kicking them off, and placed her bag on the table. She took out the spellbook, and Elias hovered over her, his arms yet again wrapping around her torso and pulling her close. She flipped the book open. 

It had been ages since she last saw the book. Yet it looked the same, still in the exact condition with Maleficent's handwriting all over it. 

"What are you going to do with it?"

 _Burn it_ was the first thing that came to mind, but that would be stupid. She needed to keep this until she knew that her younger self was beyond using the damn thing and turned a new leaf, which was not giving the wand over. 

"Keep it here without anyone knowing," She responded, placing the spellbook down on the table and then turning around to face her husband. His curly hair was long, just past his chin close to brushing his shoulders. He had it in a ponytail, which was how he kept it always unless they were in bed. She thought of everyone that was here. Anthony was hiding in Charles's room sleeping. The poor kid had seen his fair share of death at a young age. He was the squire for the long lost prince and took it seriously. Yet they had to keep Anthony hidden because if he stepped out of the room, the four Villain Kids would immediately recognize him and raise too many questions. Questions that they did not want to answer yet. They needed to make progress here before they answered questions. For now, Anthony kept to the shadows with a baseball cap hiding his red hair and keeping an eye on Lady. They would roam around the area and sometimes the Ancient Lands mostly to tell Lady Hecate things about the Isle. Lady Hecate had told them what they had already known, that Zeus and the Olympians were angry for King Adam locking away Hades unjustly. She didn't blame the Gods for being pissed, they were Gods! A mortal King just locking one of their own away was basically an insult in their eyes. It was an owner that Hercules and Meg had even sent their youngest son Perseus here.

Perseus...

There had been another VK with that name, a middle name but still a name. Evie had been overjoyed to find out about her brother, her own twin only to lose him in the explosion. Harry and Evie didn't even get a chance to be siblings because of the war. When Evie had confronted Grimhilde about it, well it did not end well for the old Evil Queen. It had set off a storm in Auradon that day, the dead rising and cracks in the earth showing the full power and anger the daughter of Hades had felt. Evie had cried her eyes out, hugging Uma tightly. Audrey and Mal didn't know what to do for them but give their friends space to grieve once again. 

Maybe this time things will be different. They will be a family united again. They just needed to end that damn rivalry first before things could be said out in the open. As well as freeing Hades which was easier said than done. 

They had to do this. For Jane, for Harry, for Gil, for Anthony, for Dizzy, for Celia. For her kids. For her family. They had to make sure they got this right.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her.

"We have to get this right," She told him. Green eyes looking at blue eyes that held comfort and strength. He hugged her tightly and she hugged him right back. He was taller than her which made her sometimes stand on her tippy-toes to kiss him. "For everyone."

"We will," He said to her. "Jay and Carlos seem to like me as does Chad and the other boys."

"Mal certainly doesn't like me," She said which made him chuckle. 

"Yeah well taking the spellbook didn't get you on her favorites list that's for sure," He joked. "We're going to have to make sure they don't try the love potion plan again."

"Not if I can help it," Mal growled. "They aren't going to do that stupid plan again."

No way they were going down that path again. She was not going to allow them to make a love-potioned laced cookie again. Not ever. She'd barricade the kitchen if it meant that would stop them from making that cookie. Elias kissed the top of her head as if telling her, _easy there._

Angelina sighed. 

* * *

"You like him!" Evie squealed in delight. "I knew it!"

"I don't like him, Evie!" Mal protested, but it fell on deaf ears with Evie. Evie was currently making a dress for Mal's fictional date with Chad Charming. If Mal didn't love Evie so much, she would strangle her. She did not like Chad Charming. Was he funny? Yes, possibly. He did make her laugh even if the joke was super corny and so Auradonian. 

_"Why are there no planes where Peter Pan lives?"_ He gave her the most charming smile possible it made her insides flutter. Maybe she was sick? They had been working on the portrait for a while now, him taking pictures of her close up and distance. Then helping her outline and paint. They were in the painting process, doing the background. She shrugged at him, yet his smile never dimmed. It was a boyish charming smile that Mal seemed to grow accustomed to seeing with him. _"Because there is a sign that says, Never Neverland."_ She couldn't help it; she laughed. Chad took that as a victory and told another, which made her laugh even more. A highly inappropriate one but that surprised her that Chad Charming, a proper prince knew these types of jokes and told them without any shame whatsoever.

 _What did the Pongo and Perdita say after having sex? That his the spot_. Thinking about that joke made Mal bite her lip to suppress the laughter that threatened to come out of her mouth. She shook her head, vowing to tell some of the Isle ones she knew to Chad.

"You laughed at his jokes, M." Evie pointed out. "You aren't the joke laughing type, not with anyone."

"They were funny," Mal said, trying to ignore the flutter once again. What was wrong with her?! "If you'd have heard them, you'd be laughing too." Evie made a noise of disbelief but said nothing. It had been a good distraction from her sulking over Mrs. Woods taking her spellbook. The book that she hadn't been able to find after breaking into Fairy Godmother's office with Jay to see it not there! 

She had begun hearing Chad's joke laughing when Audrey rudely interrupted them, telling Chad something about the meeting they both had to attend. Chad apologized but promised Mal that he would tell her the rest of the joke when they met again tomorrow. She found herself pleased about that, which left her confused as to why she felt pleased about seeing Chad tomorrow. Maybe Evie had a point? Ugh, no. No way!

She was the daughter of a villain, and villains don't fall in love. They don't.

They can't... can't they?

 _What a ridiculous idiotic thing!_ Maleficent's voice said loudly, mockingly in Mal's ears. _Love is weak and a distraction._

Then why did Mal want to find out more about it? And why was she so scared that Chad Charming might hold the keys to it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to keep it from getting you guys confused.
> 
> Charles Grimm- Carlos
> 
> Nymeria Grimm- Uma
> 
> Angelina Woods- Mal
> 
> Elias Woods- Chad
> 
> And yes I did pick Angelina because of Angelina Jolie who played Maleficent, sue me XD. The last name Woods I got from the actress Ilene Woods who is the first actress to have played Cinderella in Walt Disney's 1950's animated film. The name Nymeria is from ASOIAF which for those who may not know Nymeria was the founder of Dorne and House Martell, a real badass in the books. I thought it would be a cool badass name that Uma would pick.
> 
> The next chapter will be a Nymeria POV, so get ready for that!


	4. Yes, There Are Two Paths You Can Go By, But In The Long Run There's Still Time To Change The Road You're On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone figures it out and wants to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter, I realized I made the mistake of putting the Neverland Academy against Auradon. It was actually Sherwood Forest school against Auradon at the Tourney Game. That's a mistake on my part, and I fixed it!
> 
> The title of the chapter comes from lyrics from Led Zepplin's song Stairway To Heaven. Enjoy!

Audrey looked at the other girls who got new hair. Pretty hair like Jane and Lonnie.

This had Mal written all over it! She just knew it!

Yet whenever she broached the subject, Chad came to Mal's defense like some knight in shining armor. Aziz had teased him that he had a crush on ,Maleficent's daughter and Chad didn't seem to deny it! Ben, Aziz, Chad, even Lonnie, and Jane all seemed to conclude that the new kids were good. No, something wasn't right. She was going to find out. 

She sat by the outdoor garden grotto that Auradon had, and it was built in honor of Snow White. The princess-now Queen Snow's beautiful statue was in the middle of the little waterfall and small pool that had fish in them. ,Rose bushes were blooming and the sweet scene of them reminded Audrey of home. She was doodling in her diary, trying to figure out just what those four were up to when a dog came by. A black German Shepard dog came up and bumped her knee with its nose. The dog was friendly, as if asking Audrey to pet it. 

"Hello," She cooed, letting it sniff her hand before begging for scratches. She complied and scratched its head. "Who are you? Are you lost?"

The eyes were red which were uncommon for any dog that Audrey ever knew. Yet the dog was pretty and nice.

"Lady?" Footsteps could be heard, and she noticed Mr. Grimm coming up to them. The black dog-Lady barked and happily trotted over to the young teacher. "Ah, making new friends, girl?"

The dog barked at her owner. 

"She's beautiful," Audrey said. "I didn't know you were a dog person, Mr. Grimm."

"I am," He responded. "Lady's been with me since forever. She's a loyal one and adorable."

"She certainly is," Audrey agreed as she scratched Lady's head. Looking at Mr. Grimm, he reminded Audrey of her dad. It was a weird thing to think about, but it was the truth; the man had the same jawbone, and the same way he held himself was exactly like how her dad was. Maybe it was just a coincidence. 

"So what brings you to the old grotto?"

Mr. Grimm shrugged. "I found this place peaceful and quiet. Like home. Me and my sister found grottos peaceful."

Audrey could understand. It did feel like home yet home was filled with the ghost of a brother who may never come home. 

* * *

"What about Francesca?"

"No, it reminds me of the old witch Francesca who used to hurl dead rats at us. Remember her? Lived next door to Madame Mim? She was probably the second loudest person that screamed next to Cruella. That's a no," Nymeria said, exasperated. She felt a jab in her stomach. The babies were kicking as if they were trying to claw their way out. _Too bad guys, both of you are stuck there for another month._ "We are not naming her that."

"Victoria?"

"Not opposed to it. Maybe... Let's keep looking before we decide. Lyra?"

"I like that name," Charles said to her. "Lyra Aurora. It has a nice ring to it or Victoria Aurora?"

Aurora. They had agreed to name the baby after his mom, his true mom. Cruella was dead to him, and Ursula was dead to her. She hoped they rot in Tartarus, and when everything was fixed, she was petitioning for them and the rest of the villains to be sent to Tartarus or the Fields of Punishment. Let them suffer for all eternity for what they have done to us all. Let them have a taste of their own medicine. Yet, she knew that Anastasia and Hades would need to be freed. Anthony deserved to have his mother live.

Anastasia Tremaine had died trying to protect her stepsister, her niece Dizzy and her only son. She still remembered Anthony trying desperately to go back for his mom, but Uma followed orders. Bring the kids and Cinderella to safety after Charmington had been overtaken. 

"I see you guys are still trying to name the little ones?" Angelina's voice drifted inside the empty Goodness class. She and Elias were trailed by the children, all looking happy. They adored being here and adored Fairy Godmother. Angelina had told them during dinner that she had gotten the spellbook that Maleficent had given Mal before she had left the Isle. Nymeria and Charles were happy about that. Anthony had asked if he should hide it, but Angelina declined. Since Mal didn't know where the faculty lived, they were safe, but she would consider it just in case. They were not taking any chances with Mal getting the spellbook again. 

"We might go with Lyra," Nymeria told her. Angelina said it was a pretty name. "Lyra Aurora."

"Or Victoria," Charles said. Angelina liked both names.

"A fitting name for a princess," Elias said with a smile. But smiles diminished today. They all had the same thing on their mind—Anthony's plan. 

"Is he sure about this?" Nymeria asked after a moment of silence filled the classroom. They could hear students bustling in and out, talking about their day or plans with friends. Complaining about homework or excited about the Tourney Game or Coronation. None of them knowing that five people were trying to stop a war and the death of millions. Oh, how she envied them. She had nightmares every day and night. She saw Harry and Gil's deaths, sometimes she could hear them cry out for her, begging for her help, and she could not reach them in time. Charles would have to wake her up to stop her screams and hold her until she stopped shaking. 

But what Anthony was proposing was crazier than what they did. 

Elias and Charles nodded. "He's prepared to do the right thing. Lady Hecate can do it and expressed that he is probably the perfect candidate for this." Charles ran his fingers through his hair, making his curly brown hair much more ruffled. "I trust Anthony to do the right thing, but I'm worried about how he'll be back there."

"He can do it," Elias said to his friend and brother-in-law. "We have to trust him, and we have to make sure to get Ben on our side to bring the others."

"You'll need help with that part," Someone piped up. 

The four adults looked to see Prince Aziz looking at them with a sly smile.

"Hey, Chad."

Aziz was good at observing the drama from afar. It was something he and Lonnie talked about whenever he had time before practice. That was how he figured it out as he stood in front of the four adults. He looked at one of his best friends; he was Chad but adult and with a beard. 

His friend burst out laughing. "Of course, of course, you'd find out!" He was still laughing. "God help us."

"It was pretty easy, but I don't know who the rest of you guys are," He said towards the others. After they gave their real names, Aziz's eyes widened. "You married Maleficent's daughter?! Man, Lonnie owes me twenty bucks! We began a bet on when you would ask Mal out, and you just confirmed it. Thanks!"

Charles snorted while Angelina and Nymeria rolled their eyes. 

"So you want to help?" Angelina asked Aziz straight up. 

"Yup," Aziz told them. "Something made you guys come back to the past. Something bad, I'm guessing?" The four adults nodded, and Aziz didn't press any further. Whatever it was, it must have been bad enough to break Auradon Laws and time-travel back in time. 

"I'm in," Aziz said. "Where do we start?"

* * *

Anthony smiled weakly at his surroundings. He was back on the Isle, and it was not in his dreams; he was actually here back on this hellish rock. He could hear Dizzy singing softly, and his heart hurt at the reminder of his cousin's corpse. She would live this time. Everyone that he cared about would survive in the new timeline. No war would tear them apart. 

He got up and began to pack a small bag with some of his clothes and Dizzy's clothes. The faster they left to Mal's old hideout, the better. After going there, he would need to find Uma and then Hades. The sky was dark, and he knew that it was early morning before his mom, aunt, and grandmother would wake up. 

Quietly walking down the steps, he saw Dizzy sweeping the floors. 

"Diz?" He whispered to her. Anothony was thankful she wasn't wearing her headphones and she heard him as she quickly ran up to him. Dizzy was a two years younger than Anthony, she was only ten and he, well he was back in his twelve year old body at the right time not stopped by the magic of Neverland. His hair wasn't past his shoulders as it was before he wasn't in his body, his hair was only past his chin just above his shoulders. His younger cousin looked at him with curiosity. "Dizzy. We're leaving. Get your things packed, we need to go."

"Why? What about Granny?"

"Granny never cared about us," He said balling his fist up and trying to not snarl. He was thankful she had died before using the wand on Charmington as Drizella did. His mother... he would free his mom from this place, he promised. His father... he had died during the war like all the other Olympian Gods. He and Evie were nephew-Aunt. But he and Gil, they were cousins as their father and mother were siblings as well as Olympians. "We got to go."

After convincing Dizzy a bit more, he and his young cousin with just their backpacks they fled the house into the streets of the Isle. 

They ran down the street to the hide out that belonged to Charles and Angelina. When they finally found it he threw a rock at the sign and the gat rolled up letting them inside. He made sure he closed the gate again so nobody could find them. The first part of the plan was complete now to find Uma and her crew. But Dizzy looked tired and she was sleeping on the couch. He could find Uma later, he needed to plan how to convince her that he and Dizzy were on their side. 

More easier said than done, he thought. 

He sent a prayer to his father, the last time he had sent one was before the collapse of Olympus. Now he prays again knowing full well the God could hear him clearly. 

"Father, please help us. Please help me father. Please, keep my cousins-Chad, Elias, Dizzy and Gil- all of them safe. Keep Evie, as well as Harry, and her kids safe. Keep Charlie, Nym and Angelina and their kids safe. Please. I know it would be uncommon for you to keep people safe, you are war and chaos. But please for the love that you have for me, I beg of you. Keep them safe. Give me strength in these few days here. Please, father."

High on Olympus above the heavens, Ares and Persephone saw the young boy say his prayer. 

"Listen to him brother," Persephone counseled the god of war. "He is yours, listen to his prayers. Do what you can for him, he has seen war and does not want it."

"What would you have me do?" Ares asked gruffly. His son had inherited his temper as well as his eyes, brown and full of fire burning underneath them. Anastasia Tremain had been the last woman he would have thought to fall for but Aphrodite loved to play were tricks on him as well as Eros. Yet Anastasia was a mortal he would and did beg for his father to let him marry. He still wanted to but she was on the Isle alongside her idiot cruel sister and equally cruel mother. If he had his way, he would send them to Hades and Persephone to have the Queen of Hell torture them for days on end. Now his son was kneeling on the cold floor praying for his safety and those of his family. He will send his son a sign. He would send him to his Uncle Hades. Hades needed to know the truth both that he had nephews and he has a son on the Isle as well as a daughter in Auradon. 

"Zeus will grant me this," He said to Persephone. "I wish he could do the same for Uncle Hades."

Persephone smiled sadly. "I wish that as well but there may be hope."

She waved her hand and Anthony disappeared. The image then turned to four adults all talking. 

"They are the ones giving Apollo that headache, right?" Ares had heard the moaning from Apollo non-stop. That time-travelers had come by but Hecate would not say anything about their wearabouts nor their identities, their true ones. "What about them?"

"One of them is the long lost prince." Now that perked Ares attention. Everyone in every kingdom of Auradon knew about the long lost prince of Ulstead who had been taken years ago in his crib. His mother and father had been inconcolable searching for a year to try and find their son but no luck. The family have yet to heal from this tragedy setting the burden on poor Princess Audrey Rose who delt with the might of bearing two crowns. Not to mention her grandmother and grandfather, they weren't Kronos but even Ares had felt pity for her.

"The anniversary is coming up soon," Ares said and Persephone nodded. "What about your stepchildren?"

"Then, there must be some good news headed their way. Poor Carlos de Vil," She murmured and Ares agreed. Yet it had to be done or the Fates would take it into their own hands and the three old hags had a sick sense of humor. No, better he and Persephone then those three. "Poor Harry Hook and poor Evie. It must be done for their sake."

* * *

Aziz smiled at Chad who was standing next to Mal by her locker talking animatedly at her. Behind him was Audrey who still looked suspicious at the couple. He walked up to his friend and poked her on the arm. 

"Aww. Jealous Auds?" He said teasingly. She rolled her eyes at him. 

"No," She said. "I just don't want to see Chad hurt."

"He won't," Aziz reassured him. That seemed to just irritate Audrey more. "What's really bothering you?"

"Aren't you just a little upset that Ben brought Jafar's son here?"

"He didn't bring Jafar, he only brought Jay. Jay isn't his dad, never even acts like the old vizier. We can't put the sins of their parents on them Audrey." That seemed to make the princess think hard and he hoped it would change her mind. Nymeria and Angelina informed him that Ben and Audrey were the True Loves of Jay and Evie, if he can help them by getting those four together than it can be a bit easier. Then there was the plan to bring in more VKs as one of their own time-traveling companions was sent in his younger body to unite some of the VKs that would be brought over to ease them in. 

Angelina and Nymeria told him that the rivalry between Uma and Mal would be dealt with by them. Aziz just needed to keep an eye on his friends and hope none of them caught on which for the most part was very easy with the VKs arrival and already growing popularity status. Mal was seen as a girl who could give cute hair to any girl. Lonnie had her look change and it made Aziz see her as even more of a beauty. 

He still needed to ask her out.

For now, he was going to ask Ben about the proclomation and who else he would be bringing and more importantly-when. 

As he walked to his friend's office his mind began to wander to his talk with Elias. The man had told him that once the new VKs would arrive there would be trouble brewing. He did not elaborate on what trouble that meant. Was it the rivalry Nymeria and Angelina said? No, it was something far more than a ex-friendship. Something dangerous was coming to Auradon.

"Aziz!" Ben greeted him. "What's up?"

He found Ben alone in his office which was great for his plan. Aziz grined at his friend as he closed the door and went to the couch, sitting down. Ben got up from behind his desk and sat down in front of Aziz on the other couch. 

_What does Ben look like in the future Elias escaped? Did he look the same? Or was he looking-_

"I wanted to talk about the next batch of VKs," Aziz began which made Ben perk up. "I think maybe more should be brought over. The four that are here are doing great. Maybe its time bring more?" 

Not the smoothest line to convince but it seemed to do the trick. Yes!

Ben agreed that bringing some more VKs would be nice to continue the proclomation instead of waiting longer. Aziz offered to help pick the new batch which Ben thanked, grateful for the help. Ben gave him the list that he had written down the first four names. Aziz pretended to look at the list of names that had the VKs names on them from the Isle and began to write the names down. He handed it back to Ben who read it over.

"Five?" Aziz hoped that Ben wouldn't veto it. Elias wanted his cousins back, especially Anthony who had been sent into his younger body. "Okay. I'll have them send the proclomation and invitations to the Isle to bring them over."

Aziz grinned. _Thank you Ben!_

The last bell of the day rang making both boys look at each other. "Time for practice." Ben said as he went to get his gear. Aziz nodded, going to get his gear from his dorm room telling Ben that he would meet him there.

Practice was brutal. Coach Jenkins and Coach Woods were pushing them making sure they were up to perfection when the game against Sherwood. When practice was over and his body ached, Aziz slowly walked over to Coach Elias who was looking over the game plans. 

"Coach," Aziz greeted his old friend. All his teammates and Coach Jenkins left the field which was good for them. Elias grinned. "I got Ben to bring the others from the Isle."

"Really?" Elias sounded surprised. Maybe he didn't believe that it would be that quick but then again it was Ben. Ben seemed ride or die for his proclomation which played well for Aziz in that moment. "This is great. Anthony... he'll make sure things go smoothly before coming over here with the others. Thank you Aziz."

"Don't thank me yet, man." Aziz said telling him about the plan to get the foursome couples together. "It's a stretch... but I think it could work. I mean Chad and Mal are already looking at each other with gaga eyes. More so Chad than Mal. He has it bad but I think you already know the feeling."

Elias rolled his eyes at the jab. 

"Just be careful Aziz. I don't want you to get hurt." 

Aziz dismissed the concerns with a wave of his hand. "I got this! I'm the last person they would suspect, trust me."

They walked down the field noticing Angelina talking to Audrey. Aziz wanted to laugh at the sight. The daughter of Aurora talking plesantries with the daughter of Maleficent, oh the irony that Audrey didn't know. Audrey had said that the new faculty were cool and she loved their styles. Now that Aziz knew the true identities it just made things much more funny, at least to him.

Angelina spotted them and Elias kissed his wife cheek in greeting. Audrey made an 'aww' sound and it was very difficult for Aziz to not cackle without giving everything away. The couple left leaving the two friends by themselves on the field. 

"What did Mrs. Woods want?" Aziz asked helping Audrey carry her bag. 

Audrey frowned. "She wanted me to give the VKs a chance. Especially Evie and Jay. She told me that I might find myself having something in common with them. I don't know."

"Come on Auds," Aziz said trying to back up Angelina's words. "Even your mom told you remember? To give them a chance. Why don't you do that?"

"My grandma-" She argued rather weakly. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, I'll be busy this week."

"With what?"

"The anniversary," She said sounding melancholy. Aziz wanted to hit himself for being an ass. He had forgotten about the anniversary of her younger brother's disapperance. The long lost prince would always be on Audrey's mind and on the minds of her parents until the end of time. He wondered if the Prince of Ulstead was here if he could bring his big sister to see reason and reach out to the VKs. Maybe get her away from Queen Leah and King Stefan's rotten influence. 

"I'm sorry," Aziz responded sympatheticly. 

Yet sympathy was something Audrey despised when it came to the Anniversary. Sympathy would not bring back her brother, tears would do nothing for him. 

"So am I," The Princess responded tiredly. "I wish he was back home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The outdoor grotto is similar to the one found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Just without the wishing well.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and questions are appreciated!


End file.
